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Show PULLED THE POETRY STUFF Actor Doing a Double In an Emergency Emer-gency Follows Instructions of Stage Manager. William Gilette, in the course of an address made to the graduates.of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts at the Empire theater, told a story. "When I was in Booth's company years ago," the actor said, "we had to be up in many parts. Frequently the actors would have to double in a performance per-formance when the roles outnumbered the people. I remember one time we were playing 'Hamlet' When the time came, In the players' scene, for the man to poison the king, ft was found that the particular actor selected for j the part was on the stage in another role. "Immediately the stage manager grabbed an actor who was getting ready to continue in another role. The actor was wrapped in a big mantle, man-tle, handed a bottle and told to hurry on the stage and do the poisoning. Nobody No-body would recognize him, said the stage manager. " 'But,' protested the actor, 'what ire my lines?' " 'Oh, you know,' replied the stage manager. " 'That poetry stuff?' "'Sure!' " 'All right,' said the actor. Then he strode on the stage with his bottle, and, bending over the king-, said: " 'Nobody here, nobody near! "I'll pour the poison in his ear!'" |
